Some subscribers to Phys-L might be interested in a post "Do
Premedical Requirements Over- or Under- Emphasize Physics?" [Hake
(2010)]. The abstract reads:
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ABSTRACT: In "Educating Physicians: A Call for Reform of Medical
School and Residency" Cooke, Irby, and O'Brien (2010) wrote: ". . .
.the premedical requirements OVEREMPHASIZE SOME SCIENTIFIC FIELDS,
SUCH AS PHYSICS. . . ."
On the other hand, physicists Crouch et al. (2010), in "Physics for
Future Physicians and Life Scientists: a moment of opportunity,"
imply that the physics needed by future physicians is
UNDEREMPHASIZED, writing [my CAPS]:
"'The great success of 20th century biology was to reveal the
physical and chemical machinery of life. Biological molecules, cells,
organisms, and ecosystems are all constrained and enabled by the same
laws of nature that govern the inanimate world. In this new vision,
life emerges as perhaps the richest and most complex example of a
physical system. IN THE 21st CENTURY, THE STUDY OF LIFE REQUIRES AN
INTEGRATED, QUANTITATIVE APPROACH: PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, AND
MATHEMATICS TIGHTLY INTERWOVEN WITH TRADITIONAL BIOLOGY.
This fundamental transformation has been widely recognized in recent
education policy statements. The National Research Council report
'Bio2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research
Biologists' argued that life science researchers need a strong
grounding in mathematics and the physical sciences. In June 2009, a
joint AAMC-HHMI committee issued an important report, 'Scientific
Foundations for Future Physicians' (SFFP) . . . This report calls for
removing specific course requirements for medical school admission
and focusing instead on a set of scientific and mathematical
'competencies.' PHYSICS PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN BOTH REPORTS."
It would be interesting to know how discussion-list subscribers come
down on the question "Do Premedical Requirements Over- or Under-
Emphasize Physics?"
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